faithful

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Don’t Despair

Discouragement has set in. I have so much to be thankful for, but there are situations that are long term heartaches. One after another, they sap energy and joy. God reminds me daily that He is with me and I will see good even yet.

Psalm 27:13-14 reminds me…”I would have despaired unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes, wait for the Lord.”

My fallback prayer is…”Show me something good, I need to see something good.”

Days like this I wish I could talk to my Dad.

He grew up during the depression and served in WW II. He would be a wealth of encouragement. My memory of him was laughter and joy, but I know there were periods of deep sadness in his life as well. Sadness he never talked about or dwelt on. Day by day he was faithful to his faithful God. Day by day he got strength and joy from the God who is full of lovingkindness.

While cleaning out some drawers I ran across an old cassette tape with my Dad’s writing on it.  Finding a cassette player that worked was another challenge. I finally was able to hook up the tape deck to our stereo system. The first song I heard was him playing the violin. The song? “Jesus Took My Burden”. The words came back to me as I listened. Here are the words to the chorus.

Yes, Jesus took my burden I could no longer bear,

Yes, Jesus took my burden in answer to my prayer;

My anxious fears subsided. My spirit was made strong.

For Jesus took my burden, and left me with a song.

My Dad died almost 34 years ago and yet here God was using him to encourage me today. Yes, God was again showing me something good, something very good. The example of a man who lived his life faithfully through good and bad, because He trusted His good God to be with him through it all.

So don’t despair. Life is hard. Troubles will come and go. Sometimes troubles will come to stay, but Jesus takes our burdens and gives us joy in the midst. The blessing of daily being able to lean on His strong arms is priceless.

“For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, who says to you, ‘Do not fear I will help you’.   Isaiah 41:13

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Be Ready

It was a morning ritual for her. Our daughter, Anna, would run to the window, pull back the curtains and announce. “I don’t see Jesus coming today!”

It made me smile, but now at the memory it makes me hopeful. In Luke 12 Jesus tells the disciples to be ready, watchful… Do I live my life as if He might come back today? How is my life different because of it?

Do I look for opportunities to tell others of the hope that lies within me? Do I live my life absorbed in His word? Do I live my life furthering the gospel or my own bank account? Is my life lived for the here and now or am I looking to a better country?

Jesus has some startling words for the inattentive servant who is taken by surprise. (Luke 12:45-47) Those who expect an inheritance and yet do nothing to serve their King will have a rude awakening. A true servant wouldn’t be sitting down on the job. A true servant wouldn’t be filling his own pockets without any regard for the needs around him. A true servant would be sitting at the feet of their Lord daily…like Mary in Luke 10:38-42.

So today I recommit my life to that end. To be a faithful servant, watchful and ready for Christ’s soon return. Jesus might come today.  Are you ready?

For further study:

Luke 12:35-48

Romans 10:9-11 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed,”

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Wilderness Journey #4 – Called to Service

 

Moses has spent the last 40 years tending sheep. He seems to have forgotten his former zeal for his brethren, but God had a plan that involved Moses. God had not forgotten. Read the following passage and work through the questions.

Exodus 3:1-22; 4:1-17

  • What did God use to get Moses attention?
  •  When did God speak to Moses? (vs. 3-4)
  •  What is God doing in your life to get your attention?
  •  God’s word is our burning bush. If we turn aside God will speak to us through it. See II Timothy 3:16 and Hebrews 4:12
  •  God introduces Himself in vs. 5 & 6. List the verbs God uses in verses 7-9.
  •  What was the problem? What was God going to do?
  •  How does God want to include Moses? vs. 10
  •  How does Moses respond in vs. 11?
  •  The argument continues. Take note of Moses’ misgivings and God’s solutions.
  •  How has Moses changed? Compare Exodus 4:10-13 with Acts 7:22? Why the shift?
  •  Our confidence needs to be in God, not our own abilities. At this point Moses had lost confidence in both. Did God write him off?
  •  What is God asking you to do today? How can you be faithful? Is there an area that you feel inadequate? Is that a good or bad thing?
  •  Learning to trust God is a daily process. Pray that you don’t get so busy arguing with God that you never move forward in obedience. The road ahead is uncertain, but our God has never been uncertain. Our God has never been more faithful. Our God is bigger than the problems we face.  He is there with us.. Believe it.

 

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Dealing with Anxiety – Study 1 – Hagar

These are anxious times. The unknown is always more unsettling than the known.

In an effort to be of help I have created a template for studying about other people who were in anxious situations. Scripture is full of stories that God graciously wrote down for us. Our hope lies firmly with Him, not our circumstances.

You can download a copy here.

trouble-and-anxiety-study-templateDownload

Here is the first passage for you to look at and discover how God was at work. It is about Hagar, an Egyptian maid. She finds herself homeless, and later homeless and without food and water. Genesis 16, Genesis 21:1-21.

I will be posting a new passage at least twice a week. Take time to read it through. Our God is not far off. He is right here with us in the midst of the uncertainties. Day by day He will be faithful. Believe it.

As always I would love to hear from you. Also if you have prayer requests please let me know.

Karen Pickering

 

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Faith Crisis

Lake_2952When I was little our family would pile into the car every summer, drive to Minnesota and spend a week at the lake. This was before the day of the internet. We didn’t make reservations, we just drove until we found something that looked interesting.

We never doubted that we would spend a week at the lake. The minute my sisters and I got into the car with our suitcases we were already there.

It was as good as done. We weren’t sure about the journey, but the destination was guaranteed.

We understood that we might have to stop two or three times before we had success, but we had faith in our Dad’s ability to find what he had promised.

After driving two or three hours our Dad would stop at a small resort and walk to the office while the rest of us held our breath.

Sometimes the resort was full.

Sometimes it was too much money.

Sometimes our Dad didn’t care for the look of the place once he was closer.

We could tell by how he was walking whether he had success or not. If his head was down and he was walking with a determined gait we knew it was a no. If he was grinning, almost running back to the car we knew he had found the spot.

A couple weeks ago I was reading in Hebrews 11, the faith chapter. I turned there specifically because I was struggling. Struggling with weariness, questions, confusion; struggling to believe God had a good plan that He was working out; struggling ____________( You can fill in your own blank).

I know God is faithful, but I needed to be reminded just how faithful.

The first verse got me headed in the right direction.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1 NASB)

William MacDonald has this to say about that verse.

“…it is a definition of what faith does for us. It makes things hoped for as real as if we already had them, and it provides unshakable evidence that the unseen, spiritual blessings of Christianity are absolutely certain and real…Faith is confidence in the trustworthiness of God. It is the conviction that what God says is true and that what He promises will come to pass.”

I would encourage you to read the rest of Hebrews 11. Think long and hard about the men and women listed there. Their faith was not in their ability to overcome obstacles, but in God’s ability to walk them through extreme difficulties. Sometimes the results were glorious, other times the immediate results were trouble and even death. Both are examples of faith in a good God.

As a child I had utter faith in my Dad. I never doubted that he would bring about what he promised.

As a child of God I need to have utter faith in the one who made me for His good purpose. He has been faithful in the past. He will be faithful in the future. Although the journey isn’t always easy, I can trust that my destination is sure.

For further study:

“While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” II Corinthians 4:18 (NASB)

“…it is impossible for God to lie, we may have strong encouragement, we who have fled for refuge in laying hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, a hope both sure and steadfast…” Hebrews 6:18-19 (NASB)

“In this confidence let us hold on to the hope that we profess without the slightest hesitation – for he is utterly dependable.” Hebrews 10:23 (Phillips)

“Why are you in despair, O my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him, the help of my countenance, and my God.” Psalm 41:11 (NASB)